9 components to selling yourself to get the job

I've learned that the salesperson mentality is so important to getting a job. In searching for employment, this mentality really helps you be more:

assertive with what you want

confident with what you can provide

calculated with why your offer is better than the rest

Don't try to model the car salesperson -- trying to swindle people into buying the most expensive car for their own gain.

A true sale is a mutual exchange of happiness.

Sound cliche?

It's true.

When you buy an iPhone, you might think "this iPhone was way too overpriced", yet you bought the thing anyways.

Why is that?

Worth it every time? Arguable.

Because you believed that the purchase was worth it. The iPhone was worth however many hundreds of dollars to you. Apple gets what they want (profit for salaries, reinvestment, etc.) and you get what you want (an all-in-one solution to thousands of your needs). Everyone's happy.

It's a win-win.

If it wasn't worth it to you, then you would simply not buy it. This logic applies to anything you buy with your own money: makeup, TVs, food, even college.

Maybe you value your time and money more than the iPhone is able to provide you.

So you buy a cheaper alternative (that's what I did with my LG G3). Still kind of regretting that one, but hey, that's a sacrifice that gives me more money to spend on other things more important to me.

I think the same logic applies in searching for jobs. There is a lot of overlap in trying to sell a product and selling yourself as a potential hire.

The most obvious connection between the two is this: you have to be able to provide a mutual exchange of happiness that appeals to both you and the employer.

How do you do that?

By making an irresistible offer.

Here are Ash's 9 Components to Every Successful Offer:

A brilliant angle = the foundation of your offer

Outline of a very specific problem the buyer has, calling them out

Your offer = the solution

The benefits/results of your offer

What your offer includes

Framing the cost beforehand (why your alternative is so much better than whats out there)

How much your offer costs

How to buy your offer and what happens afterward

Provide some type of social proof that you aren't a serial killer and other people actually trust you, showcasing results if possible (testimonials, etc.)

If you think in this framework for your job search, what does it physically manifest into?

Identification of one of the company's inefficiencies/problems

Your solution to that very problem and the EXACT results they'll get

Your price point -- maybe you can leverage working for free to make yourself more attractive to the employer.

Recommendations from employers, professors, and other team members through LinkedIn -- who can vouch for your work

It's easy to see that pitching for value is so much better than the usual, "Please hire me, I have a college degree and and lots of random irrelevant experiences I'm going to talk about to make me seem well-rounded" pitch that many students give.

To really gain value out of this blog post, you can practice by crafting a pitch for your ideal company.

You never know; this "practice" pitch could get you your next job.

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I also think a useful re-frame to approach the job market is to think of yourself less as an employee, and more as a business partner.This reinforces that you are always you're own agent, no matter if you have a job or not.

You're not just a businessman -- you're a business, man.

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I've loved reading the (few) responses I get. They're awesome. But I want more people to share their thoughts and opinions! Comment below and rate this article from 1-5 on the usefulness or how relevant this is to you.